Raphtalia
|enemies = Idol Rabier (former master) Aultcray Melromarc XXXII Malty S. Melromarc Church of the Three Heroes Biscas T. Balmus |type of hero = Dedicated Sidekick |size = 250 }} Raphtalia (In Japanese: ラフタリア, Rafutaria), also known as the Katana Hero, is the deuteragonist of The Rising of the Shield Hero light novel series, as well as its anime and manga adaptions. Raphtalia was a demi-human slave girl purchased by Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero. She became the first member of Naofumi's party, eventually falling in love with him due to his kindness and benevolence as a master. After sometime serving in the Shield Hero's party, Raphtalia became the Katana Hero, wielder of the Vassal Katana. She is voiced by Asami Setō in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Erica Mendez in the English version of the anime. Appearance As a tanuki-like demi-human, Raphtalia has several tanuki-like features that distinguishes her from regular humans. Instead of human ears Raphtalia has a pair of tanuki ears on the top of her head that occasionally twitch when experiencing some kind of sensory stimulation. She also has a fluffy tanuki tail protruding out of her backside which often makes motions based on Raphtalia's emotional state, such as when her tail stands on its own which conveys anger. She has tea-red eyes and has been described as incredibly beautiful for a demi-human. Raphtalia has a purple slave mark imprinted on her chest. In her initial appearance as a slave girl Raphtalia had long, dirty, unkempt hair that flowed down to her hips. In keeping with her destitute appearance, Raphtalia only wore torn rags and chain buckles around her neck and wrists. After being purchased by Naofumi, Raphtalia was cleaned up and given a fresh set of clothing. Raphtalia's new outfit consisted of fur boots and a brown and red dress which went down to her knees. She still wore the chain buckles, perhaps to mark her as a slave. With her cleaned up appearance, Raphtalia was often given preferential treatment due to her cuteness. Synopsis Background Raphtalia originally lived in a small coastal village outside of Melromarc. Her best friends were a girl named Rifina and a boy named Keel. Her parents were good people who told Raphtalia to always smile so that others could find hope and happiness. Growing up, Raphtalia was told tales about the Legendary Shield Hero, who was considered a hero by all demi-humans. Raphtalia's life was fairly peaceful until the waves of calamity devastated her village. During the attack, Raphtalia's parents sacrificed themselves to save their daughter from the Cerberus. A short while after the attack, Raphtalia convinced the rest of her villagers that they could rebuild their lost settlement. Before the villagers could rebuild a group of vile Melromarc Knights came to the village and ravaged the settlement. The entire adult population was slaughtered during the raid, while the children were captured for slavery. Raphtalia and Rifina were separated from Keel during the ordeal. She and Rifina were purchased by Idol Rabier, who pleasured himself by torturing innocent demi-humans. Raphtalia was tortured ruthlessly which lead to a mental breakdown and severe trauma. After sometime in the vile noble's possession, she was sold to several different people before ending up in the hands of a slave dealer named Beloukas in Melromarc. A New Master One day, at the age of 10, Raphtalia was purchased by a man named Naofumi Iwatani for thirty silver coins. She was given a slave crest on her chest, meaning she couldn't disobey any of Naofumi's orders or lie to him. Naofumi took Raphtalia to Erhard's blacksmith shop where he brought her a new outfit and a knife. Iwatani took an orange balloon monster out of his cape and ordered Raphtalia to kill the creature. Although she originally refused to harm the balloon monster, Raphtalia's slave crest forced her to comply. After managing to kill the creature, Raphtalia was told by Naofumi that he needed her to kill monsters for him as he had no means of offence himself. Naofumi then led Raphtalia to an inn where he brought her a meal due to her grumbling stomach. Raphtalia was extremely grateful to her master as she hadn't had a fulfilling meal since her capture. Training with her Master After lunch Raphtalia was brought into the wilderness to hone her skills against low level monsters. While taking a break, she asked her master about himself. Naofumi revealed that he was the current Shield Hero, a fact that awed the young slave. The Shield Hero then gave medicine to Raphtalia, who had been suffering from a cough since her imprisonment. That night Raphtalia had a nightmare about the death of her parents and woke up screaming, prompting Naofumi to comfort the child. Over the next week Raphtalia continued training with her master, forging a close relationship with him due to his kindness. Raphtalia declared after killing her first animal that she would become Naofumi's sword and fight the waves of calamity that took her parents. Powers & Abilities Light & Dark Magic: Tanuki-like demis are well known for their natural skill at casting illusion magic, Raphtalia being no exception to this, as she has a natural affinity for light & dark magic which allows her to cast illusions. *Illusion: Allows Raphtalia to make a temporary decoy of herself to confuse the opponent. *Hide Mirage: Turns Raphtalia temporarily invisible, although opponents with sensitive hearing can still detect her presence. *First Light: Summons a bright light which can illuminate dark spaces or momentarily blind an opponent. Swordsmanship: As Naofumi Iwatani's sword, Raphtalia is naturally a master swordswoman, having trained with the Shield Hero for sometime. She is able to create the illusion of a blade by channeling her magic through an enchanted hilt which causes mental damage rather than physical. Gallery Anime Raphtalia with parents.png|Raphtalia with her father. Raphtalia Slave.png|Raphtalia as a slave. Raphtalia slave crest.png|Raphtalia's slave crest. Raphtalia stabs balloon.png|Raphtalia stabs a balloon monster. Raphtalia nightmare.png|Raphtalia is comforted by Naofumi after a nightmare. Raphtalia eats bun.png|Raphtalia happily eats a bun. Raphtalia haircut.png|Raphtalia gets a haircut. Raphtalia covered in blood.png|Raphtalia covered in the blood of a rabbit. Raphtalia Young Teen.png|Raphtalia as a young teen. Raphtalia lectures Naofumi.png|Raphtalia angry at Naofumi for treating her like a child. Isekai Quartet Raphtalia Isekai Quartet.png|Raphtalia in Isekai Quartet. Isekai Quartet Episode 2 End Card.jpg|Raphtalia, Naofumi and Filo in the Isekai Quartet Episode 14 End Card. Trivia *Raphtalia was purchased for thirty-one silver coins with commission. After sometime with Naofumi she was worth thirty gold coins. *Raphtalia's English voice actress also voiced Megumin from Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, Diane from Seven Deadly Sins, Mash Kyrielight from Fate/Grand Order, Retsuko from Aggretsuko, Nico Yazawa from Love Live!, Gon Freecss from Hunter x Hunter, Atsuko Kagari from Little Witch Academia, Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon, Yuuki Konno from Sword Art Online, and Ryūko Matoi from Kill la Kill. External Links *Raphtalia at the Shield Hero Wiki Category:Female Category:Honorable Category:Anime Heroes Category:Book Heroes Category:Crossover Heroes Category:Dark Fantasy Heroes Category:Fantasy Heroes Category:Manga Heroes Category:TV Show Heroes Category:Adventurers Category:Amazons Category:Animal Kindness Category:Aristocrats Category:Bond Creator Category:Bond Protector Category:Charismatic Category:Cursed Category:Determinators Category:Egalitarian Category:Elementals Category:Fighter Category:Freedom Fighters Category:Guardians Category:Humanoid Category:In Love Category:Kids Category:Legendary Heroes Category:Lethal Category:Love Rivals Category:Loyal Category:Magical Girls Category:Magic Category:Martial Artists Category:Monster Slayers Category:Nurturer Category:Optimists Category:Protectors Category:Protector of Innocence Category:Right-Hand Category:Selfless Category:Sidekicks Category:Supporters Category:Tragic Category:Warriors Category:Orphans Category:Outright